fearless
by halcyon calamity
Summary: "I like to call myself a thrill-seeker," Tonks shrugged. He'd heard the rumors before, about the game that the Seventh Years always played before they left Hogwarts. It was the only possible explanation for the craziest pranks that seemed to pop up right before school ended. The administration was mostly frustrated; Dumbledore was just amused.


**title: **fearless

**pairing: **Charlie Weasley/Nymphadora Tonks

**universe: **pre-canon

**prompts: **

Quote: "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face." -Eleanor Roosevelt

Word: Flying

Dialogue: "I don't need your help"

* * *

"Weasley!"

Charlie looked up from his Quidditch playbook at the sound of his last name, furrowing his brows as he did so. He had relocated from the Gryffindor common room to the library so that no one could bother his strategizing, but apparently it had been in vain.

He, was, however surprised to see Julian Rosier making his way towards him.

Rosier was a beater for the Slytherin team and in his year, but unlike most of his teammates, he'd never been particularly rude or nasty. He was something of a womanizer, according to his reputation, but outside of that, Charlie had never really talked to him at all.

Which was why he found it strange that Rosier was talking to him now.

The blond Slytherin plopped down in the chair across from him and put his hands behind his head. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Yes…" Now Charlie _really _had reason to be suspicious. No Slytherin would be caught dead making small talk with a Gryffindor unless there was some kind of nefarious motive behind his actions. Charlie closed the playbook, just in case.

"Relax, Weasley," Rosier laughed, noticing how tense the Gryffindor was. "I'm not here to sabotage you. In fact, I'm looking forward to the match." He leaned closer, dropping his tone lower as he did so. "Don't tell anyone I said so, but I think you've got a good chance this year. Wood's technique just keeps getting better and better."

"Er… thanks," Charlie responded.

"Well then, I'm off. See you around." And with that, the Slytherin disappeared as quickly as he had come.

Charlie shook his head, unsure what had just happened, before he looked down and found the note on top of the playbook.

_Charms classroom. Midnight. Don't be late._

* * *

Charlie didn't _want _to show up. If he was caught, he was in for some deep shit, after being roped into Fred and George's numerous pranks earlier in the year. There were only a few weeks before graduation and he didn't want to jeopardize his chances of getting out of here. But he couldn't help but think of Rosier's strange actions in the library, and the truth was that he was always something of a rebel.

He arrived about five minutes early to Flitwick's classroom, but was surprised to find that it wasn't just Rosier there. Hell, it wasn't even a gang of Slytherins waiting to beat him up.

"Look who decided to show," Nymphadora Tonks said, smirking. Charlie realized that he didn't have to be caught to be in some deep shit.

* * *

"It's basically truth or dare, except there is no truth option," Rosier explained, later on that night. Charlie looked around him, surprised to see that almost the entire graduating class was there, listening attentively. Even a few Fifth and Sixth Years were there, too. "We play elimination style. We hand out dares and if you can't complete them successfully without getting caught, you're out. We play as many rounds as necessary until one person is left standing. Final prize is 100 Galleons."

He'd heard the rumors before, about the game that the Seventh Years always played before they left Hogwarts. It was the only possible explanation for the craziest pranks that seemed to pop up right before school ended. The administration was mostly frustrated about it, but they couldn't point any fingers without solid evidence, and none of the students breathed a word. Dumbledore was just amused.

"You can drop out now, if you'd like. Make your way back to your dorm – we've made sure to clear the halls tonight – and no hard feelings. Unless, of course, you blab about the game." Rosier's eyes glinted maliciously. "Then we have no guarantee that you'll be safe."

A couple of the Ravenclaws shifted uncomfortably, but none made the move to get up.

"Also, last year's champion is in our ranks, so the risk to reward ratio significantly higher than usual."

At that, about a quarter of the students filtered out quietly. Charlie almost left too.

Almost.

100 Galleons was a lot, especially to a family in the Weasleys' situation. Charlie's dragon-breeding education would not come cheap, and even though Charlie had _some _money saved up, it would lighten his parents' financial burden immensely if he could be completely independent right out of Hogwarts.

This payout was something he needed.

"With that settled, let's get started," Rosier said, pulling out a hat with slips of parchment inside. "The slips are magically enchanted so that the dare is unique and suited to each and every one of you, so there aren't any unfair advantages. The deadline is Friday for your dares to be completed. Any consequences that you face aren't my problem. Other than that, there are no rules." A truly Slytherin expression formed in his features.

"And good luck against Tonks. I hear she is quite willing to defend her crown."

* * *

"Why do you do it?" Charlie asked her, a week afterwards. There were only about eight people left in the game, and honestly, Charlie thought it hadn't been too bad. He'd only had to charm a few things different colors, flood one of the floors, the usual. Maybe Fred and George were rubbing off on him.

"I like to call myself a thrill-seeker," Tonks shrugged, leaning back in one of the chairs. They were at the meeting spot – the Potions dungeons, this time – early, and no one else had showed yet. "And this is a good way to prep for an Auror career," she joked. "Fearless and all that."

"But you've never gotten caught before?"

"I'm good at that, yeah." She looked at his expression and laughed. "You want to know why?"

"I want to learn _how_," he said, grinning.

She nodded. "The trick is fearlessness. Just going in and getting it done, without worrying about what punishment you might have to face, or who's just around the corner."

"Fear is human nature, though."

"Fear isn't real," she replied, shaking her head. "It's a product of thoughts that you create. Danger is real, but fear? It's not. Fear is a choice, and you gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You learn to savor the adrenaline rush instead."

Charlie tilted his head in confusion. "I don't think I understand what you're saying."

"Hmm…" Tonks tapped her chin, trying to think. "It's kind of like… Quidditch. I've played against you, I know how passionate you are. When you're flying, chasing that Snitch as you're hurtling towards the ground, you're not _scared. _You feel like you're on the top of the world, right? Like nothing can get in your way."

"Oh." He _got _it now, he really did. He knew that feeling; he _lived _for it. It was the reason why he chose dragon-breeding instead of professional Quidditch – he didn't want to lose his love for the game and the rush by doing it as his career.

They were both silent for a few moments, knowing that any minute now, Rosier or any of the other participants would show up. Surprisingly, Tonks broke the silence first.

"You really need the money, don't you? That's why you're playing. For the prize."

He nodded slowly. It wasn't a secret that the Weasleys weren't well-off as some of the other families.

"You know, I won last year," Tonks said quietly. "And I don't need those Galleons. I could pull out of the competition, and you'd have a better shot of winning over everyone else."

Adamantly, Charlie shook his head. "I don't need your help, or your pity."

"It's not _pity_," she whispered fiercely. "I just know that you need it more than I do!"

"I won't take the money unless I earn it fairly," he said coolly.

Rosier arrived before she had the chance to respond.

* * *

Charlie got caught trying to charm the water in the Prefects' bath so that it dyed their skin red and gold. He'd tried Tonks' "fearlessness" tactic, but it hadn't worked after all. He supposed that his lack of experience had ultimately let him down. As much as he knew that fear was a choice, it wasn't something he could automatically let go of. Of course, Fred and George insisted it was _their _masterful plan, eager to gain some glory and refusing to be one-upped by their older brother, so Charlie didn't get into any trouble. (He reminded himself to buy them some expensive birthday presents.)

Either way, though, he was out of the game.

Charlie was disappointed, but not because he had lost his shot at the 100 Galleons. Somewhere along the way, it had become less about the money and more about the girl. Nymphadora Tonks was a fiery spirit and had a great personality to match. She was funny, interesting, and somewhat insane, but he liked her anyway.

But they were just days away from graduation, and then after this summer Charlie would be off to Romania and Tonks would be entering the Auror Academy. It was too late for a chance, but he would treasure the few moments he had shared with her.

She taught him to face his fears. In return, he gave her a piece of his heart.

* * *

When Charlie began to unpack his trunk after he arrived at the Burrow, he found a small pouch. It jingled as he shook it, and he spilled it onto his bed to find 100 round, golden Galleons, and a folded note:

_You chose right. For that, I think you earned these fairly._

* * *

AN:

Wow, I think this is the first time I wrote a pairing_ before_ I shipped it. But now I'm starting to see how suited they are for each other :D This was fun to write.

If you liked it, please leave a review!


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